It Had Been Ten Years
by Party Like a Rockstar
Summary: Ten years ago, Tommy disappeared. What is life like now? Disclaimer: I don't own Instant Star!
1. It Had Been Ten Years Ago

It had been ten years. Ten years since the release of her sophomore album. Ten years since the pictures of her drunk were sent to Darius, almost getting her dropped from the label. Ten years since he had left.

There had been no phone calls. Everyday she would ask Kwest or Portia if they had heard from him. The answer was always the same. It may have taken a while, but she had learned to live without him. It sucked, everyday. Everyday she longed to hear his voice through the speakers telling her that her song was great, or even telling her that it needed work. Things at G Major were different without him.

In the ten years that he had been gone, a lot had happened. She had a nervous breakdown after her North American tour, and Darius ordered that she take a break. A hiatus of sorts. So for a month, she went to Europe with her sister.

Spiederman and the guys worked on their solo album. When it hit stores it was sold out almost immediately. Everyone loved SME and Speed's voice. Jude recorded one more album with SME, featuring a duet with her and Speed. In turn, she backed up one of the softer songs on SME's album. That's when it happened.

They had been out celebrating the release of Jude's third album and SME's first album. Kyle was off flirting with the female bartenders, while Wally was having a not-so-private make-out session with his girlfriend. That had left Speed and Jude all alone.

She remembered being upset.Another album all done without him being there. Speed comforted her, but after a couple of beers that comfort seemed like so much more.

They didn't love each other. They were both lonely and depressed, and all that Jude wanted was to feel something besides the increasing emptiness she felt each day.

When she found she was pregnant, they both decided that it would be better if Jude had all parental rights. They weren't in love and didn't want to be together. Jude didn't want to give up the baby growing inside of her, because it made her feel good. She had a reason to live. Speed opted for really cool uncle instead of dad, seeing how he was going on tour. Jude didn't want to burden him, she just thought that he should know.

Nine months later, Jude gave birth to her daughter Noelle Abigail Harrison.


	2. Would It Ever Get Easy?

It was another rainy day in Toronto. It seemed like the weather had been nothing but rain for the last week. Jude dropped her mail on the kitchen table as she shrugged her way out of her wet raincoat. Jude placed her dripping jacket on the coat rack in the hallway before shuffling through her mail. Junk mail after junk mail, house bills, electric bills, and auto insurance bills, nothing good ever came in the mail anymore. Jude dropped the bills back on the table, reminding herself to deal with those later. She noticed a white envelope sitting on the table. _What's this? _She thought, hoping it wasn't another bill. She broke the seal and pulled out a card.

"You are cordially invited to the wedding of Sadie Harrison and Kwest Taylor." Jude read. "Well, it's about time!"

"About time for what?" Jude turned around to see Noelle standing in the doorway, hands on her hips.

"Oh, nothing, Aunt Sadie and Uncle Kwest are getting married." Noelle frowned.

"I thought they were already married?" Jude kneeled down to her level.

"Well, sometimes, sweetie, people live together who aren't married," Jude started. Noelle held her hand up.

"Mom, I'm 8 not stupid!" She walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table.

"What's for breakfast?" Jude sighed. It had been so much easier before Noelle could talk back. Jude walked to the cabinet to see what they had.

"Well, there's a box of Mini Wheats?" Jude suggested. Noelle stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"Who eats that!" Jude laughed.

"I think Jamie might have left that here."

"Mommy, can we just go to McDonald's?" Jude turned to her.

"McDonald's! Do they even still serve breakfast?"

"Duh! Uncle Jamie takes me there all the time!" Jude gave her daughter a look. "Oops… you weren't supposed to know that!"

"I guess I'm going to have to talk to Jamie the next time he baby-sits." Noelle stood up.

"About that, I think I'm old enough now that I don't need a baby sitter."

"I don't think so, young lady. The last time I left you alone in the house, you managed to let the dog come inside and destroy the kitchen. I only went outside to get the mail!" Jude exclaimed. Noelle smiled cheekily.

"I was six! I didn't know that Brownie wasn't allowed to come inside!"

"Did you brush your teeth yet?" Noelle rolled her eyes. "Did you?" Jude pressed. Noelle stomped out of the room, her strawberry blond curls bouncing with each step.

Jude leaned against the fridge, taking a deep breath. She was only 8 and already she was a handful!

Jude entered G Major in a hurry, shaking off the rain. After Noelle was born, Jude decided it would be better if she were a stay at home mom, rather then trying to take care of a baby and tour at the same time. She was now producing, seeing as how she could never just leave the music industry. Once Noelle was older Jude planned on going back to recording, but for now she liked what she was doing.

"Are there any new messages for me?" Jude asked the secretary at the front desk. Sadie had long ago quit, stating that Liam was too bossy for her taste. Instead, Sadie had taken up journalism and was currently an advice columnist atsome paper.

"No, Ms. Harrison, although Darius requested to speak with you." The young girl answered. Jude nodded and headed towards her office to take off her rain coat.

"Jude, may I have a word?" Jude turned to see "the jaguar dressed in Armani" as Jamie liked to call Liam, standing behind her.

"If you can make it a fast one." She said, disposing her jacket onto her chair, as she entered her office.

"It seems as though you've been arriving later and later to work each day." Jude fought back the urge to roll her eyes.

"Well you try getting a rambunctious 8 year old to school on time each day and see how early you would be."

"I didn't ask for an excuse Ms. Harrison. You might want to try arriving earlier or you'll start to see a decrease in your pay." With that, Liam marched out of her office. Jude stared after him. What a douche bag. The secretary came to her door.

"Yes," Jude asked, sorry that she couldn't remember her name.

"Darius is ready for you." Jude stood up and straightened her shirt before walking to Darius's office.

She knocked on the door, before entering in.

"Darius, you wanted to talk?" Darius motioned for Jude to come in and take a seat.

"Jude, come on in! How is everything going? How's Noelle?" Darius asked, pleasantly.

"Great, she's great, everything's great, what's going on?" Jude asked. 11 years working for Darius and the man still scared her.

"Cut right to the chase, huh? Well, let me get to it then. You've been doing some amazing work as a producer Jude. Let me just say how proud you're doing me and G Major." Jude nodded, accepting his compliment. What was he getting at? "For starters, I've got this new band signed on to G Major. I think you would like them. It's a female rock band, by the name of No Man's Land. I want you to produce their album."

"Yeah, sure I'd love too, thanks for asking me first!" Jude smiled, more at ease.

"Whoa, hold on, I'm not finished." Jude suddenly got worried again.

"Now I know that you've been putting your singing career on the backburner for a little while, but Rolling Stone wants to do an interview with you and feature it in their next issue."

"Rolling Stone! That's amazing, I can't refuse!" Jude exclaimed, excited about the prospect. "Not that I'm not excited or anything, but why do they want to interview me?" Darius smiled.

"That's my next news. Jude, you've been nominated for a few Grammy's." Jude gawked. Grammy's?

"Are you serious, which ones?"

"Well, Best Female Artist, Best Producer for a debut album, and Best Song Writer for some of your produced tracks." Jude was shocked silent. "That's not all, they also want you to perform at the show, so you're gonna have to come up with a new song."

"Wow, Darius, this is just… wow!" Jude stood up, ready to get back to work.

"Hey, keep it in your head, alright?" Darius reminded her. Jude nodded. "Now get back to work, time is money." With that, Jude left his office in a daze, running into Mason on her way.

"Whoa, hey there Jude you look a little spacey!" Jude looked up at her friend/confidante and smiled.

"Mason, you'll never guess what I just found out!"

"Why don't you tell me over lunch?" Mason suggested, steering Jude towards the exit.

"Mason, I'd really love to, but I'm already in enough trouble with Liam as it is." Mason kept herding her outside.

"Lucky for you, he's at a meeting."

Jude returned to G Major in a happy mood. She had told Mason of her nominations and the interview, and Mason had kindly offered to help her write the song if she wanted him too. All in all, it had been a great lunch.

Just as she was walking back into her office, her phone started to vibrate in her pocket.

"Hello, Jude Harrison?" She answered.

"Jude, it's me Sadie." Jude laughed.

"Your voice speaks for itself, sis!" She heard a scoff on the other end.

"What's that suppose to mean? Anyway, did you get my invitation?" Sadie said, turning offended into chipper in less than a second.

"Yes, I did congrats, by the way."

"Thank you, I was wondering if you'd want to be my maid of honor." Sadie asked.

"Of course, I'd love to!"

"Great! So how's work?" Jude smiled again at the thought of what was in store.

"Well, I'm producing an upcoming band, I've got an interview with Rolling Stone, and I may or may not have gotten nominated for one or two or three Grammy's." Jude said, playing coy. She received silence on the other end.

"May or may not have?" Sadie shrieked. Jude pulled her phone away from her ear.

"Sadie, I need my ear drums!" Sadie apologized.

"I can't believe this! When did you find out?"

"This morning when I came to work." Jude answered.

"Wow, Jude that's great."

"Yeah, I have to write a new song though to perform at the show."

"Wait, you're going to be performing?"

"Well, yeah."

"Are you going to start recording and touring again?" Sadie asked. Jude sighed.

"No, Noelle is still too young for me to not be a full time parent."

"Jude, are you ever going to record again?" Sadie asked sincerely.

"I don't know. I want to, but I really love producing."

"Well, I didn't want to ask, but since you're already going to be performing again, me and Kwest wanted to know if you would sing at our wedding, an original song for us. It could be like your wedding present for us, and we would both really appreciate it." Jude agreed. She and Sadie had become quite close in the past ten years, all the petty drama far behind them.

"Well, I better get back to work. I'm already being threatened a dock in my paycheck." Jude rolled her eyes.

"Okay, tell Liam to kiss my ass! Bye!" Jude laughed as she hung up the phone. You could never pull one over Sadie Harrison. Jude settled back into her chair, closing her eyes. She hadn't relaxed in so long.

"Hey Jude!" Jude sat up and glared at the person in the door.

"Hey don't shoot the messenger!" Jamie exclaimed putting his arms in a sign of surrender.

"This better be important, Jame." Jude said.

"Just came to tell you that the school called. It seems as if a mini Harrison has managed to get herself into trouble." Jude glanced at Jamie and sighed.

"What did Noelle do this time?" Jamie gave her a sympathetic smile.

"You might want to take the call, line three." He said, walking out the door. Jude slammed her head onto her desk. Would it ever get any easier?

* * *

A.N. Okay so I didn't know Kwest last name so I used the actors. Also I borrowed No Man's Land from Radio Free Roscoe, and I don't know if all the Grammy's I mentioned are real or not. Tell me what you think of this chapter and Noelle! P.S. this story is eventually going to be a Tommy/Jude story… sorry to disappoint any Jude/Speed fans. Its just going to take some time to actually get into the plot. Stay tuned! 


	3. Here Goes Nothing

Back at her house, Jude was anxiously pacing the living room, glancing up the stairs every now and then. Mason sat on the couch, watching Jude wear a hole in her floor.

"Mason, what am I going to do?" Jude asked, stopping suddenly. Mason stared up at his friend/mentor of 11 years.

"I think its time you told her." Mason watched as Jude collapsed into an armchair, her head in her hands.

Mason was the only one who knew that Speed was Noelle's father. Jude had allowed everyone else to believe that she was the product of a one night stand. She had told Mason, because she couldn't keep it to herself, and she knew that Mason would never judge her for her mistakes.

Jude shook her head, sighing. The school had called, saying Noelle had gotten into a fight. Apparently the students were to bring a parent in for the career day they were having in a few weeks. Another student had teased Noelle about only having one parent. As soon as Jude had arrived home with Noelle, she had called up Mason.

"Does it matter? His name isn't even on the birth certificate. By all legal means, he isn't her father." Jude stated. Mason shrugged.

"Well, she's obviously upset, Jude."

"I am too! I thought that I raised my daughter to be kind and courteous, not to punch kids in the face!" Jude shouted, her anger rising. Mason laughed quietly, earning a glare from Jude. "What." She asked. Mason laughed and wrapped an arm around Jude's shoulder.

"Jude, think about it for a minute! How many times have you settled disagreements with your fist instead of your brain? After all, Noelle is her mother's daughter." Jude grinned, pulling away from Mason.

"I just thought I still had 8 more years before I had to deal with this." Mason shrugged, adjusting his cowboy hat.

"Well you know what they say, kids grow up fast these days."

"Yeah, too fast."

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Jude took a deep breath before opening the door to Noelle's room. Noelle was laying on her bed, tears running down her face. Her big blue eyes stared up at Jude in regret and remorse. Jude leaned against the door.

"What you did today, young lady, was very wrong. I'm ashamed. I really thought that I taught you better then that." Jude started gently. Noelle cried.

"I'm sorry, mommy! Really! I didn't mean it!"

"Then why did you do it?" Jude pressed.

"She made me mad!"

"Who?"

"Tiffany Archer. She asked me if I was bringing my mom since everyone knows that I don't have a dad." Jude almost cried at her daughter's plight. The kids in that school could be so mean!

"I didn't mean to hit her. She wouldn't leave me alone, so finally I told her to shut up. She got mad and… well Miss Pefect didn't even get in trouble." Jude fumed. She was going to have to call the school about that.

"I'm sorry I disappointed you, mommy." Jude sat down on the bed and wrapped her arms around Noelle.

"It's okay. We'll see if we can't get you enrolled at a different school."

"Really?" Noelle asked, looking at her mom.

"It won't be today or tomorrow." Jude warned, not wanting her to get her hopes up.

"Who cares, I get to leave St. John's forever!"

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The next morning Jude walked into G Major, Noelle hot on her heels. She stopped at the secretary's desk (whose name she still didn't know.)

"Can you please look up some nearby public schools for me?" The secretary nodded her head. She glanced down to see Noelle.

"Hey, Noelle do you want a sucker?" Noelle eagerly nodded her head. Jude gave her a grateful look, still disappointed that she couldn't remember her name to thank her. Why didn't anyone wear nametags?

"Thank you!" Jude guided Noelle towards her office.

"Noelle, promise me that you will behave today? I have a lot of work to do." Noelle smiled.

"O f course I'll be good mommy!" Liam appeared in the doorway, giving Noelle a quick, unpleasant smile.

"Good Morning Miss Harrison. No Man's Land is in Studio 2, whenever you're ready." He gave Noelle another disdainful look before exiting.

"What's up his butt?" Noelle asked. Jude gave her daughter a pointed look.

"Language." She stared after Liam. "Although I think you're right." Noelle giggled.

"Let's see if we can't find Jamie." Jude said leaving her office. Noelle ran after her.

"Mom!"

"Noelle, I am not about to leave you alone in my office. Just because I let you stay home from school today doesn't mean that you aren't trouble." Noelle frowned, as Jude knocked on Jamie's office door.

"Hey Jamie," She said opening the door. "Do you mind watching Noelle for awhile?" Jamie shook his head.

"No, of course not. Hey Noelle, you wanna play some video games?" He asked, pointing towards his Playstation 2 he kept stashed in his office. Jude shut the door, knowing that Noelle would be occupied for a little while anyway. She made her way towards Studio 2, where Kwest was waiting.

"Hey Kwest," Jude placed her stuff on the couch, settling back into a chair. "Congratulations." Kwest grinned.

"Thanks, so have you talked to Sadie?" Jude rolled her eyes. Sadie sure knew how to turn men into putty. That was a quality Jude wished she had.

"Yes, and I already agreed to sing at your wedding." Kwest nodded.

"Heard about your nominations, I guess I owe you congrats." Jude shrugged like it was an everyday thing.

"No big deal." Kwest shoved her playfully in the arm.

"Yeah right. So I noticed that Noelle was here today." Jude sighed.

"Yeah, she managed to get herself in trouble at school." Kwest gawked.

"She got suspended?" Jude gave Kwest a hard look.

"No, I just don't like the way that her school is handling the situation. I'm looking into finding a public school."

"Oh, sorry I jumped to conclusions."

"That's okay. So where's No Man's Land?" Kwest pointed towards hospitality.

"I told them to get something to eat first. I wasn't sure how long you wanted to work with them." Jude nodded.

"Probably a good idea. Have you noticed how uptight Liam has been lately?" Kwest nodded.

"Oh yeah. He fired two mechanics yesterday because one went to the bathroom."

"What is his deal? I mean it isn't like G Major is in a money hole! He's always complaining about money. Yesterday he actually had the nerve to tell me he was going to dock my paycheck if I came late to work again." Kwest shrugged.

"The guys a jerk, what can I say?" Just then, three girls walked into the recording booth. Jude stood up to introduce herself.

"You must be No Man's Land, I'm-"

"Jude Harrison!" The blonde girl in the middle shrieked. She turned to her band mates. "Jude Harrison is going to be producing us!" She turned back to Jude.

"I am a huge fan of yours! I own all three of your albums and all of your singles. You're one of music idols!" Jude shot Kwest a surprised look, while he gave her a look of amusement back at her. "My name's Lily Randall," She pointed to herself then pointed to the skinny brunette to her right. "This is Parker, and this is Megan." Lily finished. Both of the girls gave Jude a wave. Parker leaned towards Jude.

"Sorry about Randy, she doesn't know how to handle herself in the presence of greatness." Jude nodded, still shocked. Kwest tried to hold his laughter as the girls filed into the recording room, setting up. Jude turned towards Kwest and smacked him.

"You could have warned me!" Kwest laughed.

"And miss this look on your face? I don't think so." Jude rolled her eyes and turned towards the girls in the other room. She pressed the speaker button.

"Okay guys, we're gonna record the music first. You'll hear yourself in the headphones, it might seem a little weird, but you'll get use to it." Jude looked at Kwest to see if he was ready to record or not. Kwest gave her the nod, and Jude started the count off. Minutes later, music flooded through the recording booth, both Jude and Kwest nodding their heads to the music.

"Wow, their not too bad… for their first time recording." Jude said. Kwest nodded.

"Guess they just take after their idol." Kwest laughed pointing at Jude. She rolled her eyes and smacked him in the arm.

"Shut up."

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Later on that night, Kwest walked outside of G Major, cell phone in his hand.

"Hey, Sadie?" Kwest asked into the phone. "I'm on my way home, just wanted to let you know. See you in a few minutes." Kwest hung up, but held his phone in his hand. He scrolled down the list of his contacts, stopping on a name he hadn't talked to in years.

"Here goes nothing." He said, the phone ringing.

* * *

A.N. Yeah I know I'm evil! Review! I love all your feedback! 


	4. Its Gonna Be a Long Night

A.N. This chapter is going to jump to Tommy's POV. Yes he's finally in the story!

* * *

Thousands of miles from Toronto, Tom Quincy laid awake at night, listening to the traffic of night time L.A. It wasn't New York, but L.A. could also be called the city that never sleeps. Aggravated, he pushed back the comforter and got up, knowing he wasn't going to sleep anytime soon. He walked into the living room of his penthouse apartment, turning on the TV. He mindlessly flipped through the channels stopping on MTV.

He remembered what brought him to L.A. in the first place. He had been living with his parents in Montana, helping them take care of his deceased sister's daughter... his niece. The news of his sister's death had crushed Tommy.

Once upon a time the two had been really close. Until his days of Boyz Attack! He had always been so busy, touring and partying that he forgot about his little sister. Gretchen became hostile towards him, and claimed she didn't want anything to do with him. For years, Tommy planned on going back home and making up with his sister, but he could never find time. Until that fateful day his father came to tell him of his sister's death. Tommy felt so guilty he spent five years living with his parents watching over his niece like he should have watched out for his sister. He hoped that it would redeem him for his wrong doings.

Anyways, while he was there he received a call from an old friend of his. Daniel was opening a record studio in L.A. and he had heard that Tommy was back in the States. He wanted Tommy to come work for him in L.A. as a producer and co- owner. He knew that Tommy had always dreamed of owning his own studio, and this was his chance. Tommy had talked it over with his parents, reminding them that he didn't have to go. Eventually, his mother had told him that he had redeemed himself enough, that it was time to go on living his own life. With that said he packed his stuff and moved to L.A.

Tommy glanced at the clock on the wall. It was twelve o'clock. He grunted, knowing that in eight hours he would have to be on his way to work. He turned the TV off and made his way back to his bedroom, to at least attempt to go to sleep. As he crawled back into bed, he glanced at the picture on his nightstand. He frowned, knowing that he was going to have terrible dreams if he ever went to sleep. It was an old picture of Tommy and Gretchen when they were kids. Tommy still felt guilt towards his sister, and nothing would ever change that.

Just as his eyes were starting to close, he heard his cell phone go off. He growled.

"Damn it, this better be important." He grabbed his phone and flipped it open, not bothering to check the caller id. "Hello?" He growled into the phone.

"Is that how you greet an old friend?" Tommy's jaw dropped. It couldn't be!

"Kwest?" He heard a laugh on the other end.

"Good to know that you've haven't completely forgotten me." Tommy frowned. It seemed all he ever did was make mistakes.

"Look, man I'm really sorry that I never called and told you where I was."

"Ten years, man. It's been ten years. You couldn't have dropped a line in ten years?" Tommy sucked in a breath. He was a terrible friend.

"I had some personal stuff to deal with." He heard Kwest scoff on the other end.

"Come on T! We've been friends forever! You could have told me! Better yet, you could have told Jude!" Tommy let out a sigh. Jude. There was another mistake he had made.

"Gretchen died." Kwest stopped shouting on the other end.

"I'm sorry man. That really sucks."

"Yeah," Tommy glanced at the picture again.

"It's still not an excuse to why you haven't called in ten years." Tommy shook his head.

"I know. Look man, you don't know the whole story." Kwest scoffed again.

"You had to have known man that there are people here who cared about you. You could have told us."

"I know!" Tommy shouted, getting mad. He didn't want to get into this. "I'm sure things are great without me interfering in everyone's lives."

"You don't know the half of it man."

"Well, neither do you." Kwest sighed, obviously tired of arguing.

"What are you up to these days?" Tommy silently thanked Kwest for changing the subject.

"An old friend of mine, Daniel Edwards, called me a few years back. Said he was opening his own studio in L.A. and he wanted me to co- own it with him." Tommy spoke. "What's been going on with you?"

"Actually, that's the reason I called." Kwest stopped, taking in a breath for what he was about to say. "Me and Sadie are getting married. I wanted to know if you would be my best man." Tommy was shocked speechless. Kwest and Sadie? Together?

"You want me as your best man?" He heard Kwest laugh on the other end.

"Sad as it is man; you are still the only guy I would ever want up there with me at my wedding." Tommy grinned, knowing that while they still had a few issues to work out, he and Kwest were friends again.

"Of course man, I'd love to." Tommy said, genuinely happy for his friend. "So you and Sadie, huh? When did that happen?" Kwest coughed.

"Actually the night after you left, at Jude's album release." Tommy shook his head. Kwest heard Tommy suck in a breath at Jude's name. "Just ask man." He said after several moments of silence. Tommy cleared his throat.

"How is she?" Kwest rolled his eyes. Tommy still got all tongue tied when ever Jude was mentioned.

"She's doing alright. Although she was quite the mess after you left." Tommy closed his eyes in pain. He never meant to hurt Jude. It seemed like all he ever did was hurt the ones he loved.

"I noticed that she hasn't released any new albums." Kwest sighed.

"Actually she's producing now. She really loves it. Someday though she says she's going to go back to recording, but right now she has more important things to do." Tommy wondered what Kwest was talking about. He was being quite vague when it came to Jude. "I've got to go. Sadie's expecting me." They said there good byes and Tommy closed his phone.

He was going to see Jude again. The thought left him nervous and excited. He wondered how much she had changed in ten years. Tommy's eyes drifted to a poster he had pinned to his bedroom door. It was one of Jude, ten years ago,when she performed her song _Over Rated_ at Shock FMs concert. Tommy sighed and settled back into his pillow. It was going to be a long night.


	5. Guilt Trips and Forgiveness

Jude sat in Studio 3 her guitar propped up next to her on the couch. She was tapping her pencil on the notebook she had in her hand, trying to find a rhythm. Aggravated, she groaned and ripped the paper out of the notebook tossing itonto the floor where a pile of similar papers were. Jude leaned back and let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. This was useless.

She heard the door open behind her and she turned to see Jamie standing in the door way. He made his way over to her and stopped in front of the pile ofnotebook paper lying on the ground.

"What did the paper ever do to you, Jude?" Jude gave him a pointed look. "Relax, I come in peace." Jude smiled at her oldest friend.

"I was just trying to write a song. I don't remember it ever being this hard." Jude sighed and looked down. Jamie gave her a playful shove.

"Who said you had to write a new song? Can't you sing one of your old ones? I mean aren't those the ones that got you nominated in the first place?" Jude shrugged.

"I don't know, Darius seems to think it would be better if I did a new song. I can see his point; I mean all those other songs are 8- 10 years old at the most. I need a new song."

"It isn't like you plan on coming out with a brand new album right now." Jamie said. Jude nodded in agreement.

"I miss it though. That feeling you get on stage right before you perform. The exhilaration of seeing the crown sing along, the feeling that you've done something great," Jamie watched as Jude's mind drifted away for a moment. Jamie smacked her on the leg. Jude jerked.

"What the hell was that for?" She remarked, putting her hand on her leg were he smacked her. Jamie grinned.

"Sorry, you were drifting off on me. Dork." Jude looked up him a look of faux shock on her face.

"You have obviously been spending way too much time with Patsy." Jamie shrugged playfully. Jude rolled her eyes and groaned. "Don't say anything." She pointed her finger at him.

"I came to tell you that Charlotte has a list of nearby public schools for you." Jude cocked one eyebrow, confusion on her face.

"Who's Charlotte?" Jamie laughed and shook his head in amusement.

"That would be the secretary." Jude smacked herself in the head.

"So that's her name. I'll try to remember." Jamie shook his head.

"Somehow I doubt you will. So where's the little Miss today?"

"Oh I sent her back to school. I couldn't keep her out forever."

"So you're really pulling her from private school?" Jude nodded.

"Yeah, I still have yet to tell my dad." Stuart had offered to help pay for Noelle's private schooling, saying that he wanted the best education for his granddaughter.

"Once I explain the situation though, I'm sure he'll understand why I don't want her going there anymore. That school is so… political!" Jude exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

"You are so over dramatic." Jamie laughed at her. Jude put her hands on her hips.

"Says the guy who literally cried for weeks when he received a B+ on his report card." Jamie glared at her.

"Hey, I was only 12 and you know how strict my nana was!" Jude laughed, patting Jamie on the arm.

"It's okay Jamie, I was only joking."

"Funny stuff, Harrison," Jamie walked towards the door. "I'll see you later." Jude waved as Jamie walked out. Exasperated, Jude collapsed on the couch, trying to focus on her work.

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Sadie anxiously tapped her foot against the table at the restaurant she was in. She glanced at her watch, annoyed. Kwest was running late. Just as she was about to pull out her cell phone, he came running in.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, Sadie." Sadie held back a sigh as Kwest sat down, trying to catch his breath. It was kind of cute the way he rushed to be on time.

"What kept you?" Sadie asked, knowing Kwest was a busy man, being an engineer and producer. Kwest rolled his eyes, picking up the menu.

"Liam, who else?" Sadie scoffed.

"Have I mentioned-" Kwest put a hand over her mouth.

"Only every time Liam is the reason for something." Kwest answered. Sadie blushed.

"Sorry, but it bothers me how that guy can have so much control over you and Jude and everyone else at G Major. I don't know how you guys honestly put up with him!" Kwest shrugged.

"He's kind of the boss." Sadie rolled her eyes, wanting to change the subject.

"So I just came back from a very helpful meeting with our wedding planner." Kwest grinned.

"Really?" Sadie nodded.

"She booked us at that really pretty church we looked at. The one that you said would be nice to get married in?" Kwest nodded, genuinely happy.

"Sadie, that's great!" Sadie smiled. Kwest sensed there was something else.

"What?" he asked.

"Well, she booked us for next month. It was the only available time, so I just sort of grabbed it." Kwest gave her a look. Sadie frowned. "You're mad, aren't you?" Kwest immediately placed his hand over hers.

"No, I'm not mad. We just have a lot to get done in very little time." Sadie nodded.

"I know. But I don't really want a big wedding. I've thought this through. We'll invite your family, my dad, and our friends from work. It'll be a small ceremony, and Jude offered to have the reception in her backyard." Sadie gave Kwest a smile. He smiled back, knowing he couldn't resist.

"When did you plan this?" He asked.

"Jude came with me to the meeting this morning. We kind of decided right there." Kwest nodded. A waitress walked over and took their meal orders.

"So did you decide on a best man?" Sadie asked. Kwest choked on his soda. Sadie immediately patted him on the back. "Are you okay? Kwest?" Kwest looked up and gave a weak smile.

"You might want to sit down for this." She gave him a look.

"I am sitting."

"Okay, promise not to hit me." Sadie rolled her eyes.

"Why would I hit you?" Kwest sat up straight, giving her a weary look.

"I sort of asked Tommy." Sadie stared at him, silent. Kwest stared back, watching Sadie in case her fist started flying.

"You asked Tom Quincy?" Sadie said slowly. Kwest nodded, letting his guard down. Sadie attacked Kwest hitting him in the arm a thousand times over. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She exclaimed. Kwest rubbed his arms glancing around the restaurant hoping they hadn't made too big of a scene.

"Yeah?" Kwest said. Sadie lowered her fists and let out a deep breath.

"Do you realize what you've done?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Back at G Major, Jude was still working on her song. She was strumming the strings of her guitar, not sure if she liked this arrangement. She stopped, and angrily set her guitar aside.

"Why can't I do this?" She asked herself, staring at the studio. She had holed herself in here for hours and she still hadn't come with anything she liked. The door opened and Jude groaned, angry at being interrupted again.

"Sorry to interrupt Miss Harrison, but you missed a very important investors meeting this morning." Jude turned to face Liam.

"Yeah, I called in and told Darius that I had a different meeting to attend this morning." Jude stood up and began gathering her stuff.

"Where do you think you are going?" Jude tried not to roll her eyes.

"Well, I have a daughter I need to pick up from school." Liam stood in front of the door, blocking her exit.

"I'm sorry but I cannot allow you to leave." Jude glared at him, her anger rising. "Are you aware, Miss Harrison that you are one of the highest paid employees in this company, and yet you work the least amount of hours?" Liam smirked at her.

"I work hours of over time." Jude snapped at him.

"What, once a month? I cannot allow you to leave until the work day is over. Sorry." Liam exited the studio. Angrily, Jude stormed after him, following him into his office, letting the door slam shut.

"Miss Harrison I believe that our discussion is over." Jude placed her hands on her hips and stared him down.

"I'm sorry _Mr. Fenway_, but I don't think it is. You are not my boss! Darius understands that I have a child I have to take care of. He knows that she comes before anything else in this world." Liam leaned back in his chair and threw Jude an over confident look.

"Then you'll be okay with the fact that you will be fired from this company?" Liam smirked. Jude glowered at him, the steam coming from her ears.

"You can't fire me. That would be unfair, and I would have to file a discrimination at work file against you." Liam shrugged, walking over to her.

"It isn't discrimination. It isn't sexist. It's just policy." Liam stood uncomfortably close to Jude. She stared at him, fire in her eyes.

"Well, then I guess you'll just have to forgive mefor this." Jude spit in Liam's face and then kneed him in the groin. With a flip of her middle finger, she stormed back out of his office.

"Screw you and your policy, Liam!" Jude shouted. Darius came running out of his office.

"Yo, yo, yo, what's going on up here?" He shouted. Jude pointed towards Liam who was still kneeling in pain.

"That dirt bag there is trying to fire me because I tried to leave to pick my daughter up from school, which I am now 15 minutes late!" Jude exclaimed, looking at Darius for help. Darius frowned at Liam.

"Portia!" He called downstairs. Moments later, Portia entered, a few garment bags in her hands.

"Yes?" She answered. Darius pointed towards Jude.

"Do you mind picking up Noelle, while I deal with these two?" Jude gave Portia a sympathetic look.Portia rolled her eyes.

"She goes to St. John's private school, right?"She questioned, grabbing her keys.

"Thank you, Portia!" Jude called. Portia just waved her hand behind her as she left. Darius turned towards Liam and Jude.

"Alright, both of you in my office, now!" He stormed down the steps as Jude and Liam reluctantly followed.

Darius shut the door behind them. Jude nervously looked at Darius. He wouldn't actually fire her, would he?

"Look Darius this is all really a big misunderstanding. I simply told Miss Harrison that she had been repeatedly showing up late to work. I don't know where she got this silly notion that I was trying to fire her." Liam said. Jude turned to face Liam, her anger rising once again.

"How about when you cornered me in the studio and tried to keep me from picking up my daughter?" Jude answered. Darius held up his hand.

"Alright, let me do the talking. I don't think that Jude would just lie about that Liam. What do you have to say?" Liam stood up in anger.

"You're taking this bint's side? I've worked for you for over 10 years! What has she ever done for this label?" Darius gave Liam a pointed look.

"You mean besides recording two platinum albums, producing amazing albums, and writing some amazing tracks? Or how about the three Grammy's she nominated for?" Darius replied. "What have you done for this company Liam? I warned you awhile ago that you're job was on the line. This incident just seals the deal. You're fired." Jude was shocked. No wonder Liam had been so worked up the past few weeks! His job had been on the line!

Wordlessly, Liam exited the office. Jude was still shocked. Darius looked at her.

"You got something to add, Jude?" Jude shook her head.

"I guess I'm just shocked that you picked me over Liam. It seems like so long ago I was on the other side of the fence." Jude said, recalling back to 10 years ago when Darius had requested that Jude take a four month hiatus from the studio. Darius sighed.

"Don't be too happy, Jude. I now have to look for a replacement. You're dismissed." Jude left Darius's office in a daze. She glanced up to see Liam emptying his office. She walked up the stairs and knocked on his door.

"What do you want?" Liam scoffed, throwing items into a cardboard box.

"I guess I just wanted to apologize." Jude answered honestly.

"Do us both a favor, and don't, okay?" Liam replied shortly. Jude walked out of his office, a feeling of guilt settling in her stomach. Silently, Jude worked her way to her office and shut the door. She settled back into her desk chair and closed her eyes. She had never meant for Liam to lose his job. He looked so broken!

A knock sounded on her door and looked up to see Portia standing there. Jude sat up.

"Where's Noelle?"

"She's with Mason down in hospitality." Jude nodded. Portia gave Jude a sympathetic look.

"You wanna talk about it?" Jude looked at Portia. She saw concern in her friend's eyes. She sighed.

"Liam was fired today." Portia looked shocked.

"Wow, I see Darius finally fired him." Jude looked up and shook her bangs out of her eyes.

"Yeah, but I can't help but feel like it was my fault." Portia gave her a smile.

"Honey, don't worry about it. My brother has been thinking about firing Liam for a long time now. I didn't think he would ever do it! Liam has been nothing but a pain in this studio's ass since the beginning if you ask me." Jude laughed.

"Thanks for talking to me Portia, and for picking up Noelle." Portia gave her a wink.

"No problem, I love spending time with her. Hey, feel free to ask her if she ever wants to go shopping with me." Portia asked, walking out the door. Jude rolled her eyes. Her daughter was bound to turn into some kind of shallow material girl with people like Portia and Sadie around.

Jude pulled her jacket on and exited her office, making her way towards hospitality. She heard lots of laughter coming from that direction.

"Hey, what's going on down here?" Jude asked, surveying the scene before her. Mason and Noelle looked up and grinned.

"Hi mommy!" Noelle laughed. Jude glanced at Mason as if to ask him to explain why her daughter was covered in chocolate ice cream. Mason shrugged.

"I fixed her a bowl and we might have started a food fight." He said, sheepishly. Jude grinned.

"I'm not so sure who the adult is here?" Mason pointed towards Noelle.

"It is most definitely this little thing right here!" Noelle giggled. Jude smirked.

"Okay, well I guess Mason is just going to have to clean up this little thing so that she can go home." Noelle laughed as Mason made face. He gave her his hand.

"Well, come on then little Miss. Let's go find a bathroom." Jude laughed at their retreating backs.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sadie entered her apartment in a hurry. Kwest rushed in after her, shutting the door.

"So for how long are you going to be mad at me?" He asked. Sadie turned towards him, giving him a glare before breaking into a smile.

"I can never stay too mad at you." She whispered, pulling him into a hug. Kwest grinned. "But don't think that you're off the hook yet." Sadie pressed. Kwest's smile slipped off his face.

"I'm going to go take a shower." Kwest raised his eyebrows but Sadie immediately put her hand on his chest.

"No, I think that you have a phone call to make."

"Too who?" Kwest asked, clearly confused. Sadie rolled her eyes, heading towards the bathroom.

"You invited Tommy, now you get the fun task of telling Jude." Sadie slammed the bathroom door shut. Kwest frowned. This wasn't going to be an easy task. He had a feeling some body parts would be broken.

Kwest headed for the fridge, grabbing a beer. He would tell Jude later, it wasn't like Tommy was coming today.

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Tom settled into his seat on the plane, preparing himself for take off. He hadn't told anyone that he was coming back, not even Kwest. He figured he would show up and get comfortable before he started the long process of asking everyone to forgive him. Especially Jude.

* * *


	6. Daydream Believer

Tommy turned the light on in his hotel room. It had been a long flight to Toronto. He gazed out the window checking out the city around him. In ten years, not much had changed. Tommy saw Whitfield Park and remembered the last time he was there…

_It was a week after Jude's birthday. Tommy cautiously knocked on the Harrison's door, hoping that Sadie wouldn't answer. A moment later, Jude pulled the door open, her blonde hair a tousled mess on her head, still in her pajamas. She frowned._

"_What are you doing here at 8 in the morning?" She asked, clearly confused. Tommy grinned._

"_Get dressed."_

_Five minutes later Jude walked out, her hair combed, dressed in jeans and a hoodie, her jacket in her hands. _

"_This better be good, Quincy." She groaned getting in his car. Tommy pulled out of the driveway. _

"_You'll thank me later, Harrison."_

_Ten minutes later, Tommy pulled up to Whitfield Park. _

"_Where are we?" Jude asked, getting out of the car._

"_Whitfield Park." He answered, following her. Jude stared at the woods. _

"_Why are we here?" Tommy rolled his eyes and led her through the trees._

_It was early December. There was no snow on the ground yet, but the path was lined with colorful leaves. The early morning sun shined above them, making it a beautiful early winter day. Jude shivered in the cold crisp air. Tommy was walking ahead of her, his beanie capped head low to the ground. Suddenly, he stopped. Jude collided into him, not having paid attention to where they were walking. _

"_Okay, you could have warned me we were stopping!" She complained. Tommy turned to give her an apologetic smile._

"_We're here!" He grinned, throwing his arms up into the air. Jude looked at the forest clearing. She nodded, slowly. _

"_Great! Where's here?" Tommy smirked at her._

"_You wanted to know the real Tom Quincy!" Jude rolled her eyes. _

"_Okay, so you're admitting you're weird?" She laughed as Tommy threw a wounded look._

_"You big baby." She teased. Tommy scoffed, throwing her a menacing look. Jude stepped back, holding her hand out. _

"_Whatever you're thinking, stop!" She shrieked as he suddenly threw a fistful of leaves at her. Jude scooped up an armful, not being the type of person to not fight back. They laughed as they continued their leaf fight. _

"_Well that was entertaining." Tommy grinned falling back into a big pile of leaves. Jude sat down next to him. _

"_Why are we here?" she asked, repeating her thoughts from earlier. Tommy shrugged, glancing around the clearing. _

"_I don't know. I just like it here." They settled into a comfortable silence. Jude lied down next to Tommy. _

"_I want to get married here." He said after awhile. Jude looked up at him, allowing him to continue. He didn't say anything for awhile so Jude spoke up. _

"_Who's the lucky lady to have Tom Quincy thinking about long- term commitment?" Tommy grinned up into the sky. _

"_Don't worry. It's no one you know." He said, looking at her._

_"Where do you want to get married?" He asked. Jude shrugged, staring into the trees._

"_The Ritz. With a million people I don't even know!" Tommy cocked an eyebrow at her. Jude turned to him and smiled. _

"_Just kidding!" Tommy threw a few leaves at her face. Jude squished her face up, waving them out of her way. Tommy laughed at the ridiculous face she was making. They grew quiet. _

"_I don't care where my wedding is. I want it to be on New Year's Eve, and I want the kiss to happen right as the clock turns 12." She smiled into the sky. Tommy grinned. _

"_Who knew that Jude Harrison was such a softy?" She laughed, looking away. _

"_Just don't tell anyone." _

Tommy shook his head, the memory fading away.

_She's doing good._

Tommy kept replaying his conversation with Kwest over and over again. He pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through his contacts, stopping at Jude's name. He longed to see what she looked like now.In ten years she had probably grown all the more beautiful.He called Kwest instead.

"Hello?" Kwest said, picking up on the second ring.

"Kwest, its Tommy." He heardKwest let out a sigh of relief.

"I thought you were Sadie calling me _again_ to remind me of our meeting with the wedding planner." Tommy laughed. Something's never change.

"Man, I don't envy you." He said with a laugh.

"So when are you flying in?" Kwest asked. Tommy coughed.

"Actually I'm already here." He heard a thump on the other end. 5 seconds later Kwest spoke.

"Sorry, I dropped the phone, my hands are little slippery." He said in one breath. Tommy tried not to laugh. Slippery hands… right!

"So you're here in Toronto?" Kwest repeated. Tommy grinned into the phone.

"Flew in last night!" He heard Kwest mumble something that sounded a lot like _Sadie is going to kill me._

"Is there a problem?" Tommy asked.

"No, no I'm just surprised is all. Well man, I've got to go. See you soon. Bye!" Tommy held the phone in his hand, confused. What?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kwest slammed his head on to the sound board. He was so screwed!

"Hey watch where you put that big head of yours! That equipment is expensive!" Kwest turned to see Jude smirking at him. Great.

"You need something?" He asked. She shook her head.

"Nope! I just came by to annoy my favorite engineer-turned-producer soon-to-be brother-in-law!" She chirped. Kwest groaned. _You're doing a real good job!_

"Jude I got to tell you something." Jude nodded.

"Okay, can it wait? I have a meeting with Noelle's principal." Kwest nodded. _No! It CANNOT wait! _

"Sure." Kwest gave her a bright smile; Jude smiled back and left the studio. Kwest slammed his head into the soundboard again the minute the door closed. He was beyond screwed. He was dead!

* * *

A.N. I just love the thought of Kwest slamming his head against the soundboard in aggravation! Keep up the great reviews!


	7. Welcome Back

Tommy grabbed his jacket and car keys, tired of being in his boring hotel room. _I've got to make amends. _He thought heading out towards his car.

He wondered how much G Major had changed in the past few years. Was Darius still in charge? Was Jamie still following Liam's coattails? Was Mason still signed there? He wondered how Kwest was doing as a producer. Hell, he wondered how Jude was doing as a producer! His mind made up, Tommy pulled into the parking lot of G Major.

He killed the engine and sat in his car a few minutes, just staring at the huge sign that read G Major, trying to convince himself to go inside. He was probably one of the most hated people in there. _That or they had forgotten him._

Tommy opened his car door, pushing that thought out of his head. Taking a deep breath, he opened the doors of G Major.

Everything looked… the same! People were still rushing around trying to meet deadlines and finish albums. He could hear the frustration of someone composing a song in the corner. Hospitality still had the same homey kitchen look it had always had. Ten years and it seemed as if life had continued without Tom Quincy.

"Tom?" He turned around to see Darius standing behind him.

"Uh, hi?" He said, nervously. Darius would have a very viable reason to be angry with Tommy. He had after all ditched his job, without so much as calling in to tell Darius what his plans were. Darius gave Tommy smirk.

"You just couldn't stay away, could you?" Tommy gave him a nervous smile. He could hear the disdain in his voice.

"In my office, now." Darius stated. Tommy gulped and willingly followed.

Darius sat down in his leather chair. Tommy surveyed the room, happy to see that Darius had gotten rid of that ugly cougar statue or whatever it was that he had once had.

"So, D how's it been?" Darius grunted glaring at him. Tommy fought back the urge to cower in his chair.

"You sure do have a knack for running off and leaving my girls heartbroken, Tom." Tommy frowned. What was he talking about?

"Where have you been these last few years?" Darius pressed. Tommy glanced at his shoes, holding back a sob.

"My sister died. I was in Montana taking care of her daughter." Darius nodded.

"I'm sorry to hear about Gretchen. She was a great girl." Tommy nodded in agreement. "So you were in Montana for ten years?" Tommy shook his head.

"No, I was only there for 5. After that I got a call from a friend who was opening a studio in L.A. and wanted my help." Darius nodded.

"Yeah, I heard about that." Tommy nodded again.

"So how is everyone here?"

"Since you've been gone?" Tommy looked down, the feeling of regret rising in the pit of his stomach. "At first it was kind of rough, but eventually things just got better." Tommy took this in. He leaned forward.

"Look, I know that I'm probably not the greatest person you or anyone wants to see, but I would really like to make it up. I feel horrible about leaving you all behind." Darius nodded, seeming to agree.

"Look, I can't make any promises alright? I can't control people's anger with you. You gotta deal with that on your own." Tommy nodded. "Welcome back, man." Darius finally said. Tommy stood up.

"I just hope I can say that it's great to be back!" With that, Tommy rushed out of the office. He wanted to find Kwest and surprise him so he walked over to the new secretary.

"Um, excuse me; I was just wondering if you could tell me where Kwest Taylor is?" Tommy asked. The secretary looked up and perused Tommy carefully. She pointed towards one of the studios.

"He's in studio 1." Tommy thanked her and made his way over to the aforementioned studio. He cracked the door open, surprised to see Portia standing next to Kwest. The pair turned to see Tommy, one with shock in his eyes, the other with nothing but contempt.

"Um, hey guys?" He said nervously.

* * *

A.N. Uh oh! What will happen next? I wonder…. 


	8. Has That Much Changed?

A.N. The moment you've all been waiting for! Tommy and Jude lock eyes!

* * *

Portia stared Tommy down.

"You have a lot of nerve showing up here!" She growled at him. Tommy took a step back. He turned towards Kwest.

"You didn't tell her?" Kwest shrugged.

"I haven't told anybody." Tommy looked at Portia, who looked like she was about ready to pounce on him. He held his hands up in the universal sign of surrender.

"Could you tell her now?" Tommy asked, desperate. He did NOT want to be on Portia's angry side. Kwest shrugged and turned to Portia.

"I forgot to tell you, I asked Tommy to be my best man and he decided to fly to Toronto." Portia turned to Kwest and folded her arms in front of her.

"Does Sadie know about this?" Kwest shrunk in his seat a little.

"About him as my best man, yes. Him flying to Toronto… no." Portia sighed, glancing at Tommy.

"This isn't going to turn out well; you do know this, right?" Portiatold Kwest. Tommy scrunched his eyebrows together.

"Someone want to tell me what's going on?" Tommy asked, clearly confused. Portia glared at him.

"I'm sorry but you missed out on that chance when you left ten years ago!" Tommy glared back at her.

"Why are you so mad? It's not like I left you." Kwest winced. Tommy was _so _getting his ass kicked for that! Portia unfolded her arms and stared Tommy down.

"You didn't, but _I _was left picking up the pieces that you left. Have you even talked to Jude?" Tommy frowned. Did everyone know about him and Jude?

"I was going too…" he trailed off, looking at the floor. Portia sighed and headed for the door.

"You better tell her before she finds out herself." Portia fixed Kwest with a look, before exiting. Tommy sank down into the couch. Kwest turned to his old friend.

"What are you doing here, Tom?" Tommy gave Kwest a look.

"You invited me."

"Hold on, now man. I asked you to be my best man I don't recall telling you tofly out to Toronto on a whim and surprise the hell out of everybody!"

"It wasn't a whim!" Tommy shouted. "I wanted to make peace with everyone." Tommy looked down at the ground. Hadn't he suffered enough yet? Kwest shook his head.

"It's good to see ya, T."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Jude sat in the principal's office facing Mr. Vaughn. The man was short and fat, with a thin and wiry black mustache. Jude didn't understand how someone so creepy looking could be in charge of elementary school kids.

"Mrs. Harrison, I assure you that every student in this building is treated the same. We dole out the same punishments. Miss Archer was simply not found to be guilty of the charges Miss Harrison claimed her to be guilty of." Jude fought back the urge to slap the guy. How dare he insult her and her daughter!

"It's _Miss_ Harrison actually; I'm not married, which seemed to be the cause of this entire mishap. _Miss Archer_ cruelly mad fun of my daughter, simply because of the fact that her father isn't present in her life. I think that is grounds for some kind of punishment!" Jude pressed. Mr. Vaughn sneered down at Jude, which she found a feat because the guy was like three feet tall.

"Well, kids will be kids." Jude breathed in heavily, trying to calm herself down.

"I think that it was quite rude the way she spoke to my daughter. In this day and age single parent families aren't that unique. No child should be _allowed_ to blatantly make fun of another simply because their lifestyle is different."

"Yes, well when one makes their life a mess, sometimes it is the children who have to suffer the consequences." Jude gawked. He did not just make fun of her.

"Well, I see how this school works and I don't think I want my daughter to get her education in a place filled with single minded, uneducated,_ rude_ people." With that said Jude stood up and walked out of the door, letting slam shut. The secretary at her desk glanced up at Jude. She shrugged, as if to say _oh well!_

She couldn't believe how small minded that man was! Angrily, Jude slipped open her phone and called her dad.

"Jude?" Jude sighed, trying to calm herself down.

"Dad, you will not believe the meeting I just had with Noelle's principal! The guy was completely rude! He kept calling me Mrs. Harrison, like he was making fun of the fact that I wasn't married and he sided with that brat Tiffany Archer!" She heard her father sigh on the other end.

"I take it the meeting didn't go so well?" Jude opened her car door, getting in.

"What was your first clue, dad?" On the other end, Stuart Harrison chuckled.

"Are you coming to pick up Noelle?" He asked. Jude turned on the engine and left the school parking lot in a rush.

"No, I have to make a stop at G Major first."

"Okay then, just call me when you're on your way. Oh, by the way Sadie called looking for you. You might want to call her back." Jude and her father said their good byes and Jude hung up the phone, concentrating on the road in front of her, before calling Sadie. She still could not believe what had happened during that meeting. It was completely unbelievable!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tommy followed Kwest into hospitality.

"I noticed that things haven't changed around here too much." Kwest let out a laugh, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Liam got fired." Tommy gawked.

"No way!" Kwest nodded.

"Oh yeah! Not too long ago actually. It was quite surprising. I never saw it coming." Tommy shook his head.

"I would have never thought." Tommy's mind drifted for a second. "So you never told me. How has Jude been doing lately?" Kwest shook his head at his friend.

"You don't give up." Tommy shook his head and grinned. "You know she was real bad after you left. Like real bad. I still don't know how she ever managed to make a third album, although if you've ever listened to it, it's filled with a lot of angst songs. I don't know what you did to her, but after you left she just fell apart." Tommy looked away. He had been feeling too much guilt and regret in the past few days.

"I really want to fix that." Kwest shook his head.

"I really hope that you don't damage her again. She's come a long way in the last eight years." Kwest turned to rummage through the fridge. Tommy stared at the records adorning the walls. He saw the one of Jude's third album. The picture of the record almost made him cry. That was not his Jude. She looked so sad and alone in the picture. _Did I really do this to her?_ Tommy thought. No wonder everyone hated him. He had managed to break a completely unbreakable girl. A girl with so much passion and love for the people around her. It was another thing to add to Tommy's ever growing list of bad mistakes.

"Sadie, I'm sure that everything is fine."

Tommy stopped. He recognized that voice. He turned around to see Jude leaning against the secretary's counter talkingto her cell phone. Ten years had done her good. Her hair was still blonde, but she styled it in a much more mature fashion. She was breathtakingly beautiful! Tommy felt his heart get caught in his throat.

Jude turned around and they caught eyes.

"Sadie, can I call you back?" She hung up the phone. Tommy and Jude came face to face for the first time in ten years.

"Tommy?"

* * *

A.N. What's going to happen next? Review and find out! 


	9. Confessions

A.N. Okay are you guys pyschic? Here'sthe next part, it jumps back to Jude's POV right before she's Tommy.

* * *

Jude walked into G Major, talking animatedly on her cell phone. 

"Sadie I'm sure that it will work out." She turned to Charlotte while Sadie ranted on and on about her wedding dress. "Charlotte, is there any mail for me?" Jude asked. She heard Sadie scoff on the other end of the phone.

"Jude, are you even listening to me!" Jude rolled her eyes.

"Sadie, I'm sure that everything is fine." Jude insisted.

"I'm sorry Miss Harrison, there's nothing new." Jude nodded.

"Thank you, Charlotte." Jude bent down to pick up her bag, still glowering about her meeting with Mr. Vaughn that afternoon. She stood up and turned around, only to come face to face with someone she thought she would never see again.

"Sadie, can I call you back?" Jude hung up on her sister who was yelling angrily through the phone. Jude wanted to pinch herself. This wasn't real, was it?

"Tommy?" She asked, afraid that he would disappear, like a figment of her imagination in the hot desert sun.

"Jude?" So far he seemed real. He took a step towards her. Jude stood still. She didn't know what to do! She vaguely saw Kwest standing at hospitality with a guilty look on his face. _So he knew about this. _Jude thought angrily. Portia appeared at the staircase with a sympathetic look on her face. Jude looked up. Tommy was now inches from her.

"Jude I'm sorry about-" Tommy stopped.

Jude stared down at her hand shocked. Had she really just smacked Tommy across the face? In a fit of surprise, Jude ran out the door.

Tommy slowly touched a hand to his cheek where Jude smacked him. He knew she would be pissed off but he never thought that she would slap him! A moment later, an angry Jamie Andrews stalked in front of him.

"You have a lot of nerve coming back here, Quincy." Jamie glared at him.

"Yeah, so I've heard." Jamie looked down at Tommy in disgust.

"You're lucky she only slapped you. You deserve so much worse!" Jamie spat in his face. Tommy turned to see Kwest and Mason looking at him sympathetically. Jamie and Portia, however both stared at Tommy like he was a bug.

"I can take a hint, thanks." Tommy said, walking away. Jamie and Portia left the lobby. Tommy sunk down onto the couch and held his cheek. Kwest handed him a frozen can of food.

"This might help." He said, walking away. Tommy looked at him.

"Where are you going?" Kwest shrugged.

"To see if I can't talk to Sadie before Jude does." Kwest disappeared through the doors. Tommy sat back in the couch and held the can on his cheek. He noticed Mason sit down next to him, giving him a nervous smile. Tommy nodded at him.

"Hey Mason, how's it going?" He asked, slightly surprised Mason wasn't joining Portia and Jamie in their "We Hate Tom Quincy" club. Last time he was here, he seemed to recall Mason and Jude being close friends. Maybe that had changed too? Mason nodded.

"It's not too bad."

"So why aren't you yelling in my face?" Mason shook his head.

"I kind of feel sorry for you. Don't get me wrong, I love Jude and I hate the fact that you hurt her, but I know her enough to know that while it might seem like she really hates you right now, she doesn't hate you." Tommy smiled. Mason sure knew how to make him feel good.

"Don't get your hopes up. Jude's just got more important things in her life right now then to worry about some dragged out drama from her past. She's not the same teenager you left." Tommy watched Mason walk out of G Major. The whole world was against him.

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Jude sat in her car, tears falling down her face. She couldn't believe that Tommy had just shown up after ten years of being out of her life! All of the pain she had felt in those first two years he had been gone came rushing back. She angrily wiped the tears from her eyes. She was no longer a whiny lovelorn teenager. Jude wanted to stop crying over Tom Quincy. _Why do I let him get to me?_ Jude asked herself, the tears welling up in her eyes. It seemed like no matter what, Tommy would always have this hold on her heart. She saw Mason walk out of G Major and go towards her car. She opened the car door for him. He got into the passenger seat wordlessly. He turned to stare at Jude. She shook her head and broke down crying in his arms.

"Why do I let him get to me like this, Mase?" Jude asked, heartbrokenly. Mason shrugged.

"I don't really know Jude, but I don't think that you're ever going to move on with your life until you talk to him." Jude pulled away from Mason, wiping her eyes.

"You always know just what to say Mason. I don't know how I ever would make it through these drama ranked moments without you." Mason shrugged again.

"It's just part of my nature." Jude let out a small laugh. She turned towards him, serious.

"Do you have to be gay?" She asked. Mason shrugged, as if to say "I am what I am!" Jude leaned towards Mason.

"Thank you, for everything." She whispered, giving him a kiss on the lips. It wasn't a romantic kiss, or even a loving kiss. It was just a pure and chaste thank you kiss between friends. Jude pulled away and ran a hand through her hair.

"Do I really have to talk to him?"

"I think you do. You need closure." With a sigh, Jude got out of her car and headed back towards G Major.

She glanced around the lobby, catching Tommy reclining on the couch with a can of frozen fruit to his cheek. She winced when she remembered how hard she had slapped him. She walked over to him and cleared her throat. Tommy jumped up, surprised to see her standing in front of him.

"Can we talk?"

Jude led Tommy into the vacant Studio 3. She kept her back turned from him, nervously wringing her hands. Tommy sat down on a chair.

"You wanted to talk?" He questioned. Jude nodded, finally turning towards him. She took in a breath, mentally cursing Mason for making her do this.

"When you left," Jude stopped, catching a sob in her throat. It was still hard for her. "When you left," She began again. "Where did you go?" Tommy sighed and looked down at the floor. Jude stood in front of him her hands on her hips, waiting for an answer.

"That night, during your mall sneak peek concert, I received a visitor from someone I hadn't seen in awhile." Jude nodded, remembering seeing a bald white man yelling at Tommy at the back of the crowd.

"That man was my father Jude." She gasped, and sat down on the couch, suddenly interested in his story.

"He came to tell me that I needed to go home with him that night. I, of course, refused. I told him that I had my own life and whatever his problems were they weren't any of my business. That's when he told me about Gretchen." Jude wanted ask who Gretchen was, but stopped and let Tommy continue.

"Gretchen was my little sister. She was younger then me by four years. We were always really close. After I joined Boyz Attack, I suddenly couldn't care less about my home life anymore. I was going to be a star and I had everything I could ever want. I stopped calling and writing to Gretchen. She became angry with me and told me she never wanted anything to do with me ever again. I got emancipated from my family and changed my last name to Quincy." Tommy looked at Jude. She could see the anguish in his eyes at the mention of his sister.

"My name was Pierre." Jude looked up. So Tom Quincy was actually Tom Pierre?

"I continued on with my life. But Gretchen, she lost control. She turned to sex and drugs as a way to escape her problems." Jude looked at Tommy, who had silent tears in his eyes.

"What happened to her?" She asked. Tommy wiped a stray tear.

"My father told me that Gretchen had died of a drug overdose. He wanted me to come home for the funeral. I was sodistraught with guilt and anger! That's when I came to see you. My dad was waiting in the car for me, impatient to get on his way." Tommy leaned forward and placed a hand on Jude's leg. She looked up in surprise.

"I want to apologize for the way I spoke to you that night, Jude. I was angry and upset. I know that it's no excuse for the way I talked to you. I also want to apologize for driving off on you without giving you a proper explanation." Jude sighed.

"It's okay, Tommy I know now that you were hurting. Why didn't you ever answer my calls? I must have left you a thousand messages!" Jude cried. Tommy hung his head in shame.

"When I got to my family's home in Montana, I discovered my sister's daughter. She was the product of some onenight stand my sister had had while under the influence. I stayed there to take care of her for five years, because I thought that maybe helping to raise my niece would take away some of the guilt I had with Gretchen." Jude looked away, tears in her eyes. She felt so much for all that his niece had gone through!

"You could have called, Tommy." She whispered.

"I know I should have. I just thought it would be easier if you hated me. That maybe it wouldn't hurt so much. Because at that point, I didn't think that I would ever come back." Jude glared at him, fire in her eyes.

"Well, you were wrong Tommy! I would have loved an explanation! I would have understood!"

"I know that now." Jude shook her head, trying to will herself not to cry in front of him.

"Can we at least be civil towards each other? For Sadie and Kwest's sake?" Jude laughed.

"I can't promise that Sadie will be civil towards you." Jude's cell suddenly started ringing. "Excuse me," She said, turning her back towards him.

"Dad?"

"Hey, Jude I was just wondering when you were going to come get Noelle because she's starting to get hungry." Jude hit herself in her head.

"Dad, I'm sorry it slipped my mind. I'm on my way right now." Jude hung up the phone and turned towards Tommy.

"I'm sorry, that was my dad, I have to go, but we'll talk later okay?" Jude asked. Tommy nodded, happy to be on speaking terms with her. Jude grabbed her jacket and left in a rush. Tommy walked into the lobby, watching her disappear through the door.

"Where's she off to in a hurry?" Tommy asked, turning towards Mason and Jamie.

"Probably to pick up Noelle." Mason stated, before turning away, his face growing red.

"Who's Noelle?" Tommy asked. Jamie rolled his eyes, still angry with him.

"Her daughter." Tommy's jaw dropped. _What?_

"Jude has a daughter?"


	10. Everywhere You Go Lightening Strikes

Sadie angrily paced the living room.

"I told you to tell her! Jude has been doing so well! I don't even want to think about what's going on through her head right now! I can't believe this Kwest! You just _had_ to have Tommy at our wedding, didn't you?" She yelled into Kwest's face. Kwest shrugged, nonchalantly.

"Yeah, Tommy's my best friend, regardless of his past mistakes." Sadie stared into Kwest's eyes.

"A best friend you haven't talked to in ten years." Kwest closed his eyes.

"I want him to stand up for me at my wedding." Sadie turned away.

"I'm not sure there will be a wedding."

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Tommy stared at Jamie and Mason.

"Jude has a daughter?" He repeated. Mason slapped Jamie in the arm.

"That isn't exactly our business to tell!" Mason cried. Jamie glared at Tommy.

"What, its public knowledge. He'd know if he'd bother calling. Ever." He spat. Mason gave Tommy a sympathetic look.

"That's still pretty harsh." Jamie shrugged, walking away.

Tommy sunk into the couch. Jude had a daughter? Who was the father? Was she married? These thoughts raced through his mind. _Is that why she was ready to forgive him so quickly?_

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Jude arrived at her father's house. Stuart opened the door for his youngest daughter.

"Hey, what took so long?" Jude shook her head, not really wanting to get into it at the moment.

"Where's Noelle?" She asked, glancing around the house. Stuart pointed towards the study.

"She's in there watching a movie. Jude, are you okay?" He asked. Jude stared at her father, her mind reeling from the day she had had. She put a hand on her forehead and brushed her bangs out of her eyes.

"I'm just having one of _those_ days." Jude insisted. Stuart shook his head. Jude had always felt the need to keep her problems to herself.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Jude shook her head.

"I just really want to go home and relax." Jude pushed the door of the study open, to see Noelle sleeping on the floor. Jude stopped and stared at her daughter. Silently, she brushed back the stray hairs that had fallen into Noelle's face. Stuart walked in behind Jude, to see his daughter and grand daughter. Jude gently shook Noelle awake. She turned and groaned, slowly opening her eyes.

"Mommy?" Jude nodded.

"Hey sweetie, can you walk to the car for me?" Jude asked. Noelle was much too big for her to carry her anymore. Noelle nodded standing up. She sleepily rubbed her eyes. Stuart handed Jude Noelle's jacket. She helped her into the jacket before steering her towards the door. Stuart bent down and lifted Noelle up.

"You might as well let her sleep." He answered. Jude rolled her eyes.

"Except how am I going to get her in the house if she's asleep?" Stuart shrugged and walked out to Jude's car. He placed Noelle in the backseat and gently buckled her up. Jude gave her dad a hug.

"Thanks, for everything, Dad." Stuart stepped back.

"Honey, I would do anything for you, you know that." Jude gave her dad a quick peck on the cheek before getting into her car and driving off.

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Kwest raised his arms into the air.

"What do you mean no wedding?" He yelled. Sadie turned to face him.

"I don't know that I can marry someone who chooses ass shaking posers over his own damn family!" Kwest glared at Sadie.

"Tom's my family too!" Sadie turned towards Kwest, shaking her finger.

"That guy hurt my little sister! You were there Kwest you saw what damage he caused!" Sadie turned away again, tears in her eyes. Kwest stepped over to her, soothingly rubbing his hands up and down her arms.

"You don't know his whole story. Besides, it's not like he's moving to Toronto! He's here for our wedding and then he goes back to L.A." Sadie turned around, wrapping her arms around him.

"Okay, I guess I can ignore him until we get married. As long as he doesn't cause anymore trouble for my sister and he leaves, like right after the reception." Kwest grinned.

"So about this whole no wedding thing…" Sadie looked up and smacked him lightly.

"Don't even think about, Mister. You're not gettingout of it THAT easy! You're mine!" Kwest grinned and kissed her on the forehead.

"Oddly, I'm okay with that."

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Mason sat down next to Tommy, for the second time that day. Tommy continued to stare off into space.

"I guess I've missed a lot." He whispered. Mason nodded. "How come no one warned me?" He asked. Mason shrugged.

"We didn't exactly know you were coming." Tommy leaned back, closing his eyes. "I mean you had to expect that some things were gonna be different." He looked at Tommy who still had his eyes closed.

"I just wasn't expecting this." Mason sensed the unasked question rolling around his mind.

"Whatever you want to know, the answer should come from Jude." Tommy opened his eyes and looked at Mason, his eyes filled with pain.

"Do you think she'd tell me?" Mason shrugged again.

"I can't tell you that." Mason got up and left. Tommy looked around the studio once more, before getting up and heading back to his lonely hotel room. Portia stopped him on the way.

"I told you it was going to be a rough welcome." She said. Tommy rolled his eyes.

"You gonna slap me too?" Portia shook her head.

"I really don't care what you do, Tommy, as long as you don't hurt anymore people." Tommy clenched his fist in anger.

"I don't plan to!" He said, frustrated, trying to keep his voice down. Portia gave him a disdainful look.

"Somehow, I doubt it. Wherever you go Tommy, there are _always_ trails of brokenhearted girls left behind you." Tommy rolled his eyes and left in a huff. He was not going to let Portia and Jamie ruin his chance to fix things. He drove off, leaving a skid mark on the ground as he made his way back to his hotel.


	11. Secrets Revealed

A.N. This chapter jumps ahead a week or so. Tommy still hasn't talked to Jude since their last encounter.

* * *

Jude picked at a few of the dresses on the rack in front of her. Sadie had managed to drag her out of the house and forced her to go dress shopping with her and Portia. Jude had agreed, knowing that Noelle was spending the night at a friend's for the weekend. She heard Portia and Sadie gossiping behind her, laughing at some of the more _interesting _wedding gowns. Jude rolled her eyes. In ten years she had not changed that much. She still hated shopping, especially with Sadie Harrison.

"Oh Jude you should try this dress on here!" Jude turned to face her sister.

"Why? I am_ not_ the one getting married. Why do I need a dress?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips. Sadie sighed.

"Jude, as the maid of honor you have to wear a dress." Jude groaned. She had forgotten about that. She grumbled, but grabbed the dress, heading back towards the dressing rooms.

"As long as it isn't ugly and frilly I don't really care." She slammed the door shut as Portia and Sadie laughed.

Jude tried to pull the zipper up herself but couldn't do it.

"Okay, one of you needs to zip me up!" she called from behind the door. "And no laughing when I come out!" She walked out, and Portia rushed over to zip the zipper. Jude turned around and stood with her arms out.

"Well?" She asked impatiently. Sadie frowned and shook her head.

"No, that really isn't your color." Jude rolled her eyes and walked back into the dressing room to change back into her normal clothes. Just as she was stepping back into her shoes, she heard a knock on the door.

"Jude, Sadie wants you to try this one." Portia said. Jude rolled her eyes and grabbed the dress. It was dark purple with light pink ribbons. Jude stormed out of the dressing room to see Sadie laughing.

"I am not trying this on!" She demanded. Portia poked Sadie in the side.

"I told you she would hate that one!" Sadie giggled. Jude hung the dress up on a nearby rack.

"Whatever, I'm done playing dress up." Sadie shrugged. She and Portia continued looking around the store, trying on different dresses. Jude sighed and glanced at all the different dresses they had. She noticed a blue dress, stuffed between two hideous green dresses. Intrigued, Jude walked over to the dress and pulled it out. It was a knee length dress with rhinestone sparkles. It tied around the neck, leaving half of the back bare, like a modest halter dress. It was just Jude's style. Sadie walked over to her and swung an arm around her neck.

"What cha got there?" She asked. Jude went to hang it back up.

"I was just looking." Sadie pulled it back out, staring it down with her critical eyes.

"Jude, this dress is perfect!" Sadie cried. Jude looked at her, surprised that Sadie actually liked something that she liked. _That wasn't a guy._ Jude pushed that thought out of her head.

"You really like it?" She asked. Sadie nodded, enthusiastically.

"This goes perfect with Portia's dress! We were worried that we would never find a dress to go with hers that you would like!" Jude looked at her sister and shrugged.

"I guess someone really wants you and Kwest to have a perfect wedding!" She laughed. Sadie grabbed the dress and went to go ring it up. After everything was bought and paid for, the three headed for a café across the street. Jude glanced at the menu.

"I can't read like half of the items on this menu!" She joked, setting the menu down. Sadie rolled her eyes.

"Well, dear sister of mine, maybe you should have paid better attention in French class?" Jude scoffed.

"Like I should have paid attention in math, and chemistry, and biology, and physics?" Sadie shook her head.

"My sister the genius!" Portia placed her hand over Jude's and patted it.

"Just order the soup of the day; I think you would like it." Jude nodded, thanking Portia and glaring playfully at her sister. Someone's cell phone rang and all three women dove for their purse. Sadie held hers up triumphantly. With Sadie it was always a competition.

"It's Kwest, I wonder what he wants?" She asked, flipping her phone open.

"Hello?" She was silent while Kwest said something to her. Just then, Sadie jumped up out of her seat.

"Kwest! You got the wrong date!" Sadie walked off, hurriedly. Portia and Jude grinned.

"Men, you just can't live with them!" Portia joked.

"That's for sure." Jude replied. Portia excused herself to the restroom. Jude sat back in her seat, waiting for Sadie to come back.

"Jude?"

Jude turned around to see Tommy on the sidewalk, dressed in his leather jacket, his sunglasses covering his eyes.

"Tommy!" She said, surprised to see him. She hadn't talked to him since she ran out on their conversation a week ago.

"What are you doing?" She asked, being polite. It was still weird, having Tommy back in her life. Tommy shrugged, walking over to her table.

"I just felt like taking a walk. I'm staying in that hotel over there." He pointed down the street to a nice plaza- like hotel. Jude grinned.

"Tommy Q, never does anything out of style does he?" She joked. Tommy shrugged nonchalantly.

"There was a free room. What are you doing?" Jude groaned and pointed across the street.

"I was out dress shopping at _that shop there_," She mimicked him, "With Sadie and Portia." Tommy closed his eyesand pretended to shiver in pain.

"Must have been horrible for you." Jude rolled her eyes.

"You have no idea." Tommy raised his arms and looked around.

"So where's your company?" Jude laughed.

"Well, Kwest called Sadie and she ran off to yell at him in a more private location and Portia went to the restroom. She should be back soon." Tommy nodded, the grin slipping off his face.

"We need to talk, Jude." Jude nodded. Mason had told her about his accidental slip up.

"Yeah we do." Tommy pointed down the street.

"Can you ditch your pals and meet me at that corner in ten minutes?" Jude nodded. Tommy turned and walked away. Jude watched him, mentally telling herself to look away. She could not be falling for Tom Quincy, _again._ Portia came back out and sat down. She turned to look down the street Jude had just watched Tommy disappear in.

"What are we looking at?" Jude turned, surprised to see Portia.

"Nothing. I've got to go, can you tell Sadie sorry and that I'll call her later?" Jude said, grabbing her jacket and leaving the café. Portia stared after her.

"Okay?"

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Jude rushed towards the designated corner where Tommy was waiting. He turned towards her.

"Well, that was fast." Jude shrugged. Tommy started walking down the street so fast; Jude had to run to catch up.

"Where are we going?" She asked, following him.

"You'll see." he answered vaguely. Jude came to stop and stared up at the sign.

"You brought me here?" She asked. Tommy nodded. She took a long glance at the sign that read **Whitfield Park.** Jude looked at Tommy, pain in her eyes.

"Why did you bring me here?" She asked, tearfully. Tommy sat down on a park bench.

"I told you once I liked it here." Jude nodded, looking away, unshed tears in her eyes. Tommy looked at her. He stood up and brought a hand under her chin, turning her head to face him.

"What's wrong?" Jude pulled away and flapped her arms.

"This place!" She cried. Tommy sat back down, hurt.

"What about this place?" Jude turned her back on him. Tommy watched her silently for a few minutes.

"Jude?" He called. He heard her take in a deep breath.

"After you… left," She started, without turning to face him. "I came here." Tommy looked down. Jude turned around.

"I thought that it would bring me closer to you." Tommy patted the seat next to him.

"Tell me." He asked. Jude shook her head, the cool air whipping her hair around her face, much like that night. She sat down next to him and crossed her arms.

"When you left, Tommy, a big part ofme went with you. The night of my album release I took off to join Mason in Barrie. I had a few drinks, and the next thing I knew, I woke up in Mason's hotel room with a major headache." Tommy stayed silent, letting Jude tell her story. He tried to keep the level of guilt from rising in his chest.

"I guess that night, this guy… I don't even remember his name… he took some pictures of me drunk. He sent them to me with a note saying he wanted 50,000 dollars of the pictures would go to the press." Tommy felt his fist clench, in anger.

"How dare he-" Jude put her hand out.

"Let me finish?" Tommy nodded. "Well, they accidentally got sent to Darius. He was pissed, but he took care of it. Then I went on tour for my sophomore album. When I came back, I guess I had a nervous breakdown because Darius and Liam ordered me to take a break. For a month, me and Sadie traveled through Europe. When I came back, my problems were all still waiting for me. I started on my third album." Jude stopped and stared at Tommy.

"It was hard with you... not being there." Tommy looked down. He took hold of Jude's hand. She looked at him in surprise.

"I'm really sorry, Jude." She nodded her head.

"I know." She gave him a small smile before taking her hand back to run it through her hair.

"I was depressed, and every song on that album was full of heartbreak. To this day I still don't understand how such a… angsty album went platinum." Tommy laughed.

"I guess people just love you no matter what." Jude smiled and shook her head.

"It's not my favorite time to think about. I wanted to die. Like, everyday." Tommy looked away. He didn't want Jude to see the guilt in his eyes. Jude glanced at Tommy and swallowed, knowing this next part was going to be hard to say.

"I made a mistake. After my third album was released, I made a huge mistake. I used somebody to make myself feel… anything." Tommy turned to face Jude, shocked. He himself had been known to bury his troubles with alcohol and mindless sex, but Jude?

"I wound up pregnant and alone." Tommy winced. This story seemed so familiar. Jude looked at Tommy and shook her head.

"Don't give me that look, Tommy. I know that I made a mistake, but my daughter is the best thing that _ever_ happened to me. She gave me a reason to live. She was like my... light at the end of the tunnel, as corny as that sounds." Jude saw a stray tear fall down Tommy's face.

"Tommy?" She whispered. Tommy slowly turned to face her, tears in her eyes.

"This just sounds similar to what happened to my sister. I felt so guilty for making her turn down that road, and you!" Tommy looked away. Jude could see how hurt and guilty he was. Jude took a deep breath, for what she was about to do. She placed a hand under his chin and turned his face to her.

"Tommy," She whispered. Tommy turned to her, the tears threatening to fall. A moment passed between them. Tommy leaned in towards Jude. Her hand slipped from his face. She sat there, not moving, waiting for him. Slowly, Tommy cupped her cheek in his hand, bringing it closer to him.

"I am so sorry." He whispered. She closed her eyes.

"You are so forgiven." She whispered back. Tommy leaned in and closed the distance between them, sending an electric shock through Jude. _Oh my god, I'm kissing Tommy!_ She thought. _Oddly, I'm okay with that!_


	12. Take It Slow

Jude walked into hospitality at G Major, whistling. Mason, who was sitting at the counter writing down lyrics looked up and cocked one eyebrow at her.

"What has got you so…chipper?" Mason asked. Jude grinned.

"Oh, nothing. It's just a beautiful day and the birds are chirping!" She answered, playing coy. Mason frowned.

"You got laid didn't you?" Jude dropped her jaw, firmly smacking Mason in the arm. He winced, rubbing it carefully.

"Ow! I need that arm!" He cried. Jude laughed and leaned back against the counter.

"Serves you right for your nasty little comment." Mason rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." Jude smiled and went to pour herself a cup of coffee.

"Well, did you?" Mason asked, interested. Jude shook her head.

"No." Mason hopped off the counter.

"Yeah right, like I seriously believe that!" He scoffed. Jude glared at him.

"Why are you so interested in my sex life?" Mason shrugged good- naturedly.

"Probably because the last guy you slept with was the father of your child." Jude frowned.

"I date! I go on lots of dates!" Mason scoffed at her again.

"Business dates don't count." Jude hit him in the arm again.

"Okay seriously, stop!" Mason whined. Jude smirked.

"Aw, is little Mason Fox gonna go write a ballad about how heturned gay because girls pick on him?" Jude teased.

"Maybe." He said, looking at her. He smiled.

"Seriously, what has you so… happy?" Jude glanced around the lobby before leaning towards Mason.

"Tommy and I sort of… kissed." Mason widened his eyes in surprise.

"What?" Jude shushed him, quickly gazing around the lobby. She motioned for him to follow her.

They entered studio 3. Jude quickly locked the door and turned to face Mason, who was still shocked.

"Wow, I always knew you moved fast, but." Jude frowned and rolled her eyes.

"Please, it just sort of happened."

"Happened how?" He asked. Jude sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

"We were talking, at the park and we just sort of kissed." Mason looked at her, begging her to continue.

"What?" She asked. "I'm not telling you anymore, we're not in high school." She shook her head.

"You can be so gay." He shrugged.

"What can I say, too many girls picked on me in my youth." Jude laughed.

"Nice." Mason smiled at her.

"So you and Tommy, huh?" Jude shrugged.

"I honestly have no idea. We have a history of kissing and then nothing happening. I'm still not so sure that I completely trust him. I do have a daughter to worry about." Mason frowned.

"What does Noelle have to do with you and Tommy?" He asked. Jude stared at him.

"Everything! I don't exactly have time to worry if Tommy really likes me or not, when I have to run around cleaning up toys, or carpooling my kid to school and soccer practice!" Jude cried, falling onto the couch.

"Things aren't so simple anymore."

"Just admit it, you really care for Tommy." Mason stated. Jude shook her head, looking away.

"No Mason, I don't just _care_ for Tommy," She turned to look him in the eyes. "I am hopelessly in love with him." Mason widened his eyes, shocked.

"Wow."

"There's my big secret." Jude shrugged, glancing away, thinking about the kiss she had just shared with Tommy not that long ago.

"I'm feeling oddly inspired." She replied, getting up.

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Jude was in her office quietly strumming her guitar, putting a tune to the lyrics she had wrote down. She heard a knock on her door and looked, surprised to see Tommy at the door.

"Hey, you got a minute?" He asked, leaning against the door frame. Jude nodded, setting her guitar down.

"Sure, come in." Tommy shut the door and walked over to Jude's desk. He nervously tapped his hand against his leg.

"I just wanted to talk to you about what happened. At the park." Jude widened her eyes and stood up.

"You're not about to tell me to forget it are you? Or that you have to leave and that you're not coming back?" She asked, scared of his reply. Tommy looked at her, his eyes wide.

"No! I didn't come here for that." He looked away.

"So what did you want?" Tommy shrugged.

"I'm not sure. Where do we stand?" He asked. Jude sighed, sitting down on the couch in her office.

"I don't know." Tommy nodded, looking at the pictures on her desk. He picked one up. It was a picture of Jude holding Noelle when she was about four years old.

"Is this your daughter?" He asked, putting that picture down and picking up the one of Noelle's recent school picture. Jude nodded a proud smile on her face.

"Yup, that's Noelle." Tommy turned to see her smiling. Tommy set the picture down and kneeled in front of Jude, taking her hands in his.

"I'm really sorry for all the pain I've caused you." He said. Jude gave him a small smile.

"Tommy you have apologized, like, a million times. It's okay." He smiled at her.

"I want to try, Jude." She stared at him.

"You mean at a relationship?" She asked, her breath getting caught in her throat. Tommy nodded.

"Jude, I've lived these last ten years without you, and I don't know that I can live ten more years without you." Jude smiled, tears in her eyes.

"Just take it slow, okay?"


	13. Rolling Stone

Jude shook her head, trying to expel all the nervous energy she felt. Behind her, Tommy placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Just breathe, Jude. It's only an interview." Jude glared at him.

"Yeah, only an interview with the most popular, widely read music magazine in the Western Hemisphere, and now I'm totally nervous!" Jude shrieked, gulping down her bottle of water. Tommy chuckled at her.

"Just relax, and be yourself." He told her. Jude smiled. The past few weeks with Tommy had been great. Sadie had been reluctant at first to accept the fact that Jude was dating him, but eventually she decided to just shut up and let Jude live her life. For that, Jude was grateful. Tommy was still working on his relationships with Portia and Jamie, but they weren't exactly top priority on Tommy's list of people to apologize to.

Jude placed her hands on her head, trying to calm her nerves. The interviewer was running late, and Jude was quickly losing her nerve.

"What, a few years out of the spotlight and Jude Harrison loses her edge?" Tommy joked. Jude threw him a quick look, trying not to smile.

"This coming from the guy who hid behind his work for over ten years." Jude replied. Tommy gave her a faux hurtful look. She rolled her eyes.

"You know I really hate it when you make me feel guilty." Jude said, leaning close to him. Tommy shrugged.

"It's just my nature." Jude gently smacked him in the arm. She was about to make a snippy remark when a young red headed woman came rushing into the restaurant. She quickly introduced herself and sat down.

"I am sorry that I am late. Let's start this interview, shall we?" Jude nodded. The woman, Leslie was her name, opened up a notebook and turned on her voice recorder.

"This is Leslie Burns for Rolling Stone, here with Jude Harrison." She spoke into the recorder. Leslie turned towards Jude.

"Jude, you were just recently nominated for three Grammy's. How does that feel?" She asked. Jude shrugged, leaning over to speak towards the recorder.

"It feels absolutely amazing! I didn't think that I would be nominated, seeing as I've been out of the spotlight a few years." Leslie nodded.

"Yes, its true that you switched your singing career for a life of producing, do you mind telling why?"

"Well, I found out I was pregnant and I decided that I wanted to be a full time parent, and recording and touring just wouldn't let me do that. I didn't want to leave the music business permanently so I asked my boss Darius if I could produce while my daughter was still so young and needed me." Jude answered confidently. Leslie smiled.

"You're daughter's name is Noelle, right?" Jude smiled proudly.

"Yes, Noelle Abigail Harrison."

"She sounds like a real cutie." Jude laughed.

"She's a real pain in the ass." The three laughed.

"So I see that you're here with Tom Quincy? Any sparks between you two?" Jude turned to look at Tommy, smiling up at him. He smiled back warmly.

"Yeah Tommycame back into my life just recently, actually. My friend and producer Kwest is getting married to my sister, and he called Tommy and asked him to be his best man."

"So are the two of you together?" Jude nodded warmly, taking hold of Tommy's hand.

"We've both waited a long time for this moment." Leslie smiled at the happy couple. Jude leaned back into Tommy, knowing that he was going to be there to support her. No matter what craziness happened in their life. Tommy had made a promise to her that he had every intention of keeping.


	14. Epilogue

Jude knocked on the door, pushing it open to see Sadie sitting in front of her vanity.

"Hey there Sis, you almost ready?" Sadie turned towards her little sister.

"I have waited so long for this day to come." Jude nodded, walking into the room.

"Well, I got to say, you and Kwest make an adorable couple." Sadie smiled.

"Thank you." Jude walked over and gave her sister a hug.

"I can't believe that you're getting married today!" Jude cried.

"I know itseems so surreal. How long until you and Tommy tie the knot?" Sadie asked. Jude shook her head.

"Not for awhile. We're all still adjusting to him being back in our lives."

"But it's for real this time?" Jude nodded.

"Yeah it's for real." Sadie smiled.

"Good, because I wouldn't want to have to kick his ass." Jude laughed. Stuart came into the room.

"There are my two beautiful girls!"

"Hey Dad," They said together. Stuart walked over to Sadie.

"Oh, honey you look absolutely gorgeous! Kwest won't know what hit him!" Sadie gave her father a strange look.

"Dad, don't ever say that again!" Jude and Sadie laughed.

"So are you ready for me to walk you down the aisle?" Stuart asked. Sadie tilted her head back.

"Yes, it's about time!"

Jude watched Kwest and Sadie dance happily with each other. _They look so happy. _Jude thought. It was still bright outside, the sun still a few hours from setting. Jude's backyardhad been transformed into the reception from heaven, with several bouquets of flowers adorning the yard. The patio had been transformed into a dance floor where couples whizzed by in laughing blurs.

Tommy walked over and handed Jude a glass of wine.

"What are you staring at?" He asked. Jude leaned into him, gesturing towards Kwest and Sadie with her chin.

"They look so happy!" Tommy chuckled.

"I sure hope so; this is their wedding after all." Jude grinned.

"I'm glad that they found each other. They're good for each other." Tommy nodded in agreement, taking a sip of his wine. Jude turned towards Tommy, her smile fading.

"Something wrong?" He asked.

"I was just thinking. Don't you still work and live in L.A.? You're going to have to go back there sometime!" Jude cried. Tommy set his glass on the table behind him, taking Jude in his arms.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. Darius hired me as his right hand man, and as a producer. Since I'm going to be working here, I sort of need a place to live." Jude smiled, giving him a kiss.

"You are welcome to stay with me." Tommy grinned.

"I was really hoping you would say that, because I already sold my place in L.A. and had them ship my stuff here." Jude widened her eyes.

"Are you serious?" She asked, amazed.

"About you, yeah." She frowned at his corny joke. Jude laid her head against his chest, wrapping her arms around him.

"No more running?" Tommy leaned his cheek against her hair.

"You couldn't chase me away. I'm not going anywhere, every again." Jude smiled into his chest.

"Glad to hear it." They pulled away from each otherfar enough to graze each other's lips in a tender, passionate kiss.

"Hey lovebirds, they're getting ready to cut the cake!" Mason shouted. Jude and Tommy pulled apart and walked towards Kwest and Sadie, hand in hand. It was the beginning of a beautiful start.

THE END

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A.N. Yes sorry this is the end! Don't worry this story is far from over! I'll have a sequel up soon, I just had some plans that I think will work better if Noelle is a little older and Tommy has settled into his life back in Toronto. I really wanted to jump to that so I apologize if it seems as if this ending was a bit rushed. I just kind of follow where my fingers lead and I end up with what I've got, so blame them I guess. Stay tuned for the sequel! 


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